Alzheimer's Disease News and Research

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Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an irreversible, progressive brain disease that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills and, eventually, the ability to carry out the simplest tasks of daily living. In most people with AD, symptoms first appear after age 60. AD is the most common cause of dementia among older people, but it is not a normal part of aging. Dementia refers to a decline in cognitive function that interferes with daily life and activities. AD starts in a region of the brain that affects recent memory, then gradually spreads to other parts of the brain. Although treatment can slow the progression of AD and help manage its symptoms in some people, currently there is no cure for this devastating disease.

Small heat shock protein as model for Alzheimer’s medication

In Alzheimer’s disease proteins clump together to long fibrils causing the death of nerve cells. Small heat shock proteins can counteract this effect. Scientists, therefore, hope to deploy them as agents in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Using the example of a small heat shock protein, researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the Helmholtz Zentrum München have now uncovered how the protein interacts with other proteins.

13 Oct 2015

Study shows that IVIG could prevent brain atrophy, delay onset of Alzheimer's disease

In a Sutter Institute of Medical Research study published this month in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry, the blood product intravenous immunoglobulin, or IVIG, was found to reduce brain atrophy and cognitive decline in patients in the early, pre-dementia phase of Alzheimer's disease.

12 Oct 2015

New clinical study focuses on investigational treatment to reduce impact of key protein from the brain

The Nantz National Alzheimer Center at Houston Methodist Hospital is part of a landmark clinical trial that looks at removing a key protein from the brain to prevent memory loss at least a decade before symptoms are noticed in healthy older adults.

12 Oct 2015

Single drop of blood in the brain can activate autoimmune response akin to multiple sclerosis

A new study from the Gladstone Institutes shows that a single drop of blood in the brain is sufficient to activate an autoimmune response akin to multiple sclerosis (MS). This is the first demonstration that introduction of blood in the healthy brain is sufficient to cause peripheral immune cells to enter the brain, which then go on to cause brain damage.

12 Oct 2015

Role for endogenous retrovirus proposed in ALS pathogenesis

Expression of the human endogenous retrovirus-K is upregulated in some patients with sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and causes degeneration of motor neurons when overexpressed in mice, research shows.

9 Oct 2015

Gene therapy prevents neuronal death, disease effects in experimental model of PD

An estimated seven to ten million people worldwide are living with Parkinson's disease (PD), which is an incurable and progressive disease of the nervous system affecting movement and cognitive function. More than half of PD patients develop progressive disease showing signs of dementia similar to Alzheimer's disease.

9 Oct 2015

Study: Sun exposure during teenage years may delay onset of multiple sclerosis

A study of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) found that those who spent time in the sun every day during the summer as teens developed the disease later than those reporting not spending time in the sun every day.

8 Oct 2015

MIT researchers developing computer system to help predict effects of disease on brain anatomy

MIT researchers are developing a computer system that uses genetic, demographic, and clinical data to help predict the effects of disease on brain anatomy.

7 Oct 2015

General public has limited knowledge of dementia and Alzheimer's Disease

Believing that dementia is a normal part of aging is the most common misconception about dementia, according to a new study conducted by researchers at Trinity College Dublin and St James's Hospital's Dementia Services Centre in Ireland.

7 Oct 2015

First patients screened in Axovant's phase 3 study of RVT-101

Axovant Sciences Ltd., a leading clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the treatment of dementia, today announced the first patients screened in MINDSET, a confirmatory global phase 3 study of Axovant's lead product candidate, RVT-101. Axovant also announced that the company and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have agreed to a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) supporting this phase 3 program.

6 Oct 2015

IU-led scientists discover new gene that increases Alzheimer's disease risk

In a newly published study, a multi-institutional team led by scientists at the Indiana University School of Medicine have discovered an immune system gene associated with higher rates of amyloid plaque buildup in the brains of Alzheimer's patients and older adults at risk for the disease.

6 Oct 2015

Body weight change in older women may aid in diagnosis, management of Alzheimer's disease

Researchers led by Deborah Gustafson, PhD, MS, professor of neurology at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, have shown that women with a gene variant (APOEe4 allele) associated with Alzheimer's disease experience a steeper decline in body mass index (BMI) after age 70 than those women without the version of the gene, whether they go on to develop dementia or not.

6 Oct 2015

Benzodiazepines heighten risks for dementia and death

Patients taking benzodiazepines to treat psychiatric conditions should consider transitioning to other therapies because of heightened risks for dementia and death, according to clinicians from the American College of Osteopathic Neurologists and Psychiatrists.

6 Oct 2015

Osteopathic physicians, researchers to present clinical and research updates at OMED 15

Osteopathic physicians, researchers and aligned medical professionals will present clinical and research updates in 15 specialties at OMED 15 in Orlando October 17-21.

6 Oct 2015

Researchers identify role of microglia during early stages of Alzheimer's disease

For the first time, researchers have determined how toxic tau fibrils spread by the help of brain immune cells called microglia during the early stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The discovery of this new pathway may lead to a therapeutic target for AD, one that has not been previously identified.

5 Oct 2015

Study suggests link between human endogenous retroviral genes and ALS

Scientists at the National Institutes of Health discovered that reactivation of ancient viral genes embedded in the human genome may cause the destruction of neurons in some forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

1 Oct 2015

Study shows antipsychotic medication increases death risk in patients with Parkinson's disease psychosis

Antipsychotic drugs may increase the risk of death in people with Parkinson's disease psychosis (PDP), according to a new study led by researchers from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King's College London.

1 Oct 2015

Brain prosthesis may help individuals suffering from memory loss

Researchers at USC and Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center have developed a brain prosthesis that is designed to help individuals suffering from memory loss.

30 Sep 2015

Collaborative approach may speed discovery of new preventive treatments for Alzheimer's disease

The future success of Alzheimer's prevention research could depend on the ability of researchers from different clinical trials to build collaborative relationships that facilitate the sharing of information, resources and expertise that may speed the discovery of new preventive treatments, according to leading Alzheimer's researchers who published a Perspectives article, "CAP--advancing the evaluation of preclinical Alzheimer disease treatments," online today in Nature Reviews Neurology.

30 Sep 2015

Disruption of blood-CSF barrier may negatively affect progression of Alzheimer's disease

More and more data from preclinical and clinical studies strengthen the hypothesis that immune system-mediated actions contribute to and drive pathogenesis in Alzheimer's disease. The team of Roosmarijn Vandenbroucke in the Claude Libert Group (VIB/UGent) combined their knowledge and expertise related to inflammation with the expertise in Alzheimer's disease present in the Bart De Strooper Group (VIB/KU Leuven).

29 Sep 2015

Alzheimer's Disease News and Research

Further Reading

Small heat shock protein as model for Alzheimer’s medication

Study shows that IVIG could prevent brain atrophy, delay onset of Alzheimer's disease

New clinical study focuses on investigational treatment to reduce impact of key protein from the brain

Single drop of blood in the brain can activate autoimmune response akin to multiple sclerosis

Role for endogenous retrovirus proposed in ALS pathogenesis

Gene therapy prevents neuronal death, disease effects in experimental model of PD

Study: Sun exposure during teenage years may delay onset of multiple sclerosis

MIT researchers developing computer system to help predict effects of disease on brain anatomy

General public has limited knowledge of dementia and Alzheimer's Disease

First patients screened in Axovant's phase 3 study of RVT-101

IU-led scientists discover new gene that increases Alzheimer's disease risk

Body weight change in older women may aid in diagnosis, management of Alzheimer's disease

Benzodiazepines heighten risks for dementia and death

Osteopathic physicians, researchers to present clinical and research updates at OMED 15

Researchers identify role of microglia during early stages of Alzheimer's disease

Study suggests link between human endogenous retroviral genes and ALS

Study shows antipsychotic medication increases death risk in patients with Parkinson's disease psychosis

Brain prosthesis may help individuals suffering from memory loss

Collaborative approach may speed discovery of new preventive treatments for Alzheimer's disease

Disruption of blood-CSF barrier may negatively affect progression of Alzheimer's disease

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